Motoropia
by arashiiiii
Summary: Sinon takes it further from GGO and ALO, as she finds herself locked in a new VRMMORPG, Motoropia. Beyond the game's high quality graphics and well backed technology to support this new toy, things have just gotten bigger, better and even more deadlier than in any game made before.
1. Motoropia

**Motoropia**

"_The age of motorbikes and high-speed vehicles, the newest VRMMORPG to be released in the fall of 2026. Produced by Vast productions."_

Sinon stared at the screen display that stood behind the massive glass window, partitioning her from the game shop in the local department store. The graphics on this upcoming game was certainly of a whole new level, and she was comparing this to that of ALO and GGO, both games dominating the current online rankings for best quality graphics in online forums. _I wonder what the plots are gonna be like? Must be difficult to top off with such competition hanging around the market nowadays._ She thought. Taking another glance at the screen that was going through a replay infinitely. _Damn, those graphics are hella good._ She made her way to the exit of the department store.

Plopping onto her bed, she grabbed her Amusphere and slipped it over her head. _Time for a dive_. The group had decided to meet up at three in the afternoon, at Agil's store in Yggdrasil for another round of clearing the next floor boss.

* * *

><p><em>Link start!<em> Sinon reopened her eyes to find herself standing in the familiar store, Agil was behind the counter as usual, busying himself with his usual chores around the store. Standing in front of the counter were Kirito and Asuna, deep into a conversation about new speed skills that were recently introduced to the game. Sinon scanned the room for the rest of the group, but they were not in sight.

"Lisbeth, Silica and Sugu are across in Lisbeth's Arms shop. They're bringing the weapons over from the last time we left them with Lisbeth for maintenance. In case you're wondering where they are." Agil spoke from behind the counter.

"I see." Sinon wondered if the man could read her mind. "All that's left is for Klein to arrive. He's late as usual." She gave of a small laugh. She'd joined the group for several years, and they'd gotten along as if they'd known each other forever. It was strange for people to get to know each other from virtual worlds, and it was even more special for them to keep in touch in the real world. She loved the fact that they hopped between different worlds; it made reality seem a lot easier when you could dive into fantasy anytime, but there was this boredom recently. It was as if a dish was under-seasoned or such, something similar had happened before she'd switched from GGO to ALO.

A gust of wind fumed into the small room, "I'm sorry I'm late!" Klein panted as he could barely stop himself, rushing into the store. He donned his samurai outfit, weapon at the ready. Carrying a surprised look as he looked up to find half the group missing. "Guess I'm not the last to arrive, huh?" he remarked, just as Lisbeth and the others trudged in, arms full with their weapons.

"Here ya go! I fixed 'em up. Gave yours a bit of upgrading, Kirito, might find that it's gotten a bit heavier but I reckon you'll like the new stats." Lisbeth gave a thumbs up over to the black swordsman, who took his sword and inspected it carefully.

"Wow, I didn't know you could add onto a fixed weapon Lisbeth. That's pretty cool, and an upgrade in the power field, too. Just what I wanted, thanks." Kirito thanked his friend.

"It's a recent thing that us Leprechauns just received, kinda like a seasonal offer. Not sure how long it'll last though. Hopefully it'll turn out well and the producers will keep this for the long run." Lisbeth's eyes twinkled as she explained the new benefits her species had received.

"Speaking of recent, there's a new game coming out soon." Sinon began. "It seems pretty fresh, and the graphic qualities are nice."

"Motoropia, right? I've heard of that one. It's produced by Vast productions, and they've just gotten the latest 3D computer graphic programs with the largest color palette available. Not sure what the game is gonna be like though. From the trailers, it seems like it's all about motorbikes and racing cars or such. Hopefully not another racing game." Kirito piped up, frowning at the part about the racing game.

Sinon doubted that Motoropia would be your usual racing game. That would be a waste for a MMORPG. The group rambled on about new games as they readied themselves for the boss fight. As they approached the door, Sinon touched her bow one last time before they would meet the boss. _Never mind whatever motorbike race, let's just kill the boss and clear another floor. Another floor._

_Congratulations!_ The words were projected above them as they sat on the floor of the boss room. Having defeated another boss and unlocked another level of New Aincrad, The battle had been quite an intense one, even with all members of the group present, it was a difficult fight. Kirito, Sugu and Agil could barely hold up the rally at the front, and there were constant switches throughout the fight, Lisbeth and Silica were down on the floor the moment it was over and Klein was literally a deflated Salamander, something Sinon could rarely see. She looked over to find an exhausted Asuna, their regular healer had been the one holding the group up. _That girl has a whole lot of stamina in her, having to keep up the lives of seven friends. _Sinon wondered, looking at her friends relieve themselves after battle. _Makes me think of my position in the group. What can you do as an archer? You don't fight in the front lines; you just stand at the back and wait for the moment._ She wasn't out of breath, and she hadn't really contributed much in the fight. Actually, she hadn't really done much in any of their fights. Perhaps it was the fault of an archer. But then again, there weren't many archers in ALO; most players opted for a sword or a more direct weapon. Frowning at her lack of efforts in the group, she climbed up the staircase with the others as they went to activate the gates of the next level.

* * *

><p>"I wish there were more things to do than clearing the floor bosses and attempting to hunt rare animals in the forest. It's almost as if ALO is reaching a plateau now." Silica whined as she and Sinon walked around the department store after school.<p>

"I get what you mean, MMORPGs should continually interest its players, but ALO seems to have reached a dead end. I think the producers have run out of ideas for quests." Sinon agreed with Silica's disapproval of the game's situation. "I was hoping there would be some interesting twist as we cleared the latest floor the other day, maybe some sort of new plot that connected the different floors that we cleared up earlier – " She stopped as the new releases rack caught her eye. Motoropia was finally out, and the detail on the packaging was just as brilliant as she had seen on the screen a week ago. Sinon walked over and picked up a copy of the game.

"This was the game you guys were talking about that day in Agil's store." Said Silica. Sinon nodded. _It looks stylish and different to the ALO and GGO. And the colors, there was something up with the colors and graphics that made it significantly different to the other new games. I think I'd like it_. Sinon smiled as she checked the price tag. _Affordable and worth it._

"Yeah. I'm buying it." As she and Silica headed to the cashier.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I haven't written a fanfic for a while, and this just popped up in the middle of the night. Not sure where it'll lead up to, but hopefully a good start :)


	2. Specifications

**Specifications**

The new game had come with a different fulldive machine, this one was called a Waver. Sinon purchased it along with Motoropia Online, or as the forums named it, MPO. She'd taken the game and the Waver home and was now connecting the Waver to the system, unplugging the Amusphere and replacing it with the new Waver. It looked slightly more complicated than the Amusphere, and sort of resembled the Nervegear, with it's helmet like shape that encased the head, the only difference was that it covered a much larger portion of the head, and the eye shield could be locked on and off by pulling it over the eyes or the forehead. Sinon lay on her bed with the Waver already running, pulling the eye shield over her eyes, she was taken to the virtual world.

* * *

><p><em>Link Start!<em> The similar image appeared with colors shooting towards her in a white background. And she was transported in an instant to an unfamiliar black screen. _Welcome to Motoropia Online, the newest VRMMORPG with the fastest and most exciting motorbike and racing vehicle game story. My name is Emi, and I am your navigator._ It took a moment for Sinon to take this in; she wasn't expecting an invisible navigator and a dull welcome of plain words on a screen. _Please choose your preferred vehicle. Swipe left or right for more selections. _Sinon glanced upwards and saw a display of motorbikes, scooters and racing cars. A dark metallic, shiny motorbike was on the front of the display. _Hyosung GT250, 249cc, 4-stroke, air/oil cooled, DOHC, 9-valve, V-twin with a transmission of 5-speed. A good starting bike for beginners of a larger size._ Emi explained as the motorbike was displayed on the front of her vision. Sinon swiped her fingers across to the right, and a slimmer model appeared. _Kawasaki KLX250S, 249cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC with a transmission of 6-speed. Very light, relatively high power, suitable for adventurous riders who'd like a versatile experience with riding._ The look of the bike was certainly appealing, and she was most definitely a dynamic person, so a versatile bike would be appropriate? She switched to another bike, also of a slim build. _Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, 744cc, 4-stroke, V-twin with a transmission of 5-speed. Also another light bike, a large fuel tank so refueling doesn't have to happen often. Good for long distance trips._ This one seemed perfect for Sinon, a lightweight, long-distance bike, and of Italian make as well. Even the style was similar to her Hecate II, dark, naked, slim. Perfect.

"I'll take this one." Sinon announced to the darkness. _All right, thee Moto Guzzi V7 Stone._ The screen blacked out and cleared out again to reveal an industrial looking steel background, there were four selection panels, three of them were lit up, and the last one was opaque. _Racer; Duel; Acrobatics. And what does this one say? Night rush?_ Sinon wondered why Night rush was opaque and grey, whilst the others were bright. _Well I guess it's only available at night, and right now it's five in the afternoon. Let's check out the Racer._ She selected the Racer panel by slapping her palm above it, and like the other MMORPGs, the panel filled itself with a white light and the scene switched.

Sinon was mounted on her new bike, the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone, which hovered on a charcoal grey track, winding through small hills. It seemed endless as Sinon could see the flapping of the flags that lined the track extend to an infinite horizon. _Great. It's another racing game. What was I expecting anyway?_ Slightly annoyed, she couldn't help but get herself ready for the blasting takeoff in a typical race. Sinon gripped the handlebars and revved up the engines, the exhaust would be piling up before she started. The countdown was blinking above their heads; it was of a similar design to those that appeared during duels in ALO and GGO, _3, 2, 1. Start_. As soon as the wheels hit the floor, the bike hurled forward, taking Sinon along with the momentum. She gripped the handlebars even tighter, shifted her weight forwards and squinted, the wind was blowing straight into her face and it was difficult to see. _I'm gonna need a pair of goggles for this_. She focused on making her turns, the first turn was a piece of cake, a gradual incline to the right and she'd barely even leant on the side, but Sinon could tell that the turns would be cutting sharper angles and she had to get ready to go all out.

It was her first time doing anything related to driving, and she most certainly wouldn't have thought that her first vehicle would be a motorbike. Sinon hadn't realized that her heart was pounding; the beat almost irregular, the adrenaline was pulsing through her veins as she cruised on the racing track. She couldn't even glance around her to see her competitors, who were not particularly competitive, as no one seemed to overtake her and she could tell by instinct that this was not the fastest she could be going with her bike. _This is a starter run, there are no other competitors in this round._ Emi explained. Shinon hadn't noticed that the navigator had actually been talking throughout the race; somehow her nerves had overridden her usual calmness, despite the lack of zeal this game was giving off so far. _Turning left, adjusting angle lean of 50 degrees to the left, prepare to turn in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. _Sinon realized that the handlebars could actually move by themselves, the entire race was programmed. _What's the point if you don't actually drive?_ She wondered as the motorbike tilted itself towards the left, this turn was much rougher than the ones she had taken earlier, and Sinon actually struggled to keep herself balanced on her seat without letting her left knee scrape against the rough cement that made up the track. _This starter run is for beginners to get a feel of their vehicle and the motion. There will be similar starter runs in the other arenas. Please stay focused._ As Sinon popped back upright on her bike after the turn had been completed. She hadn't realized that this was a test run to get her started in the game and loosened up, ready to get herself comfortable on her bike and experience the rest of the test run.

As the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone made it's last turn on the track, leaving Sinon almost clinging onto the handlebars for dear life, the bike was lying almost parallel to the ground and Sinon could swear the fringe on the knee of her new leather suit was sweeping across the track, and she was millimeters away from torn flesh. The bike was spinning towards the end banner, a white hologram that shattered into glass colored flecks as Sinon and the bike smashed across, the bike rising as it spun. _This is an advanced level drift, you have unlocked this skill. It is now available for use in your regular track races as well as Night rushes. Skill level: 1._

Throughout the run, Sinon had been unlocking basic skills, drifting was one of the more difficult and thrilling moves which she doubted she could execute in a regular drive. _This is miles different to the buggies in GGO, the speed is much harder to control and so are the turns; motorbikes aren't as easy to drive as they seem._

Sinon stepped off her bike and removed her helmet; her blue pigtails fell against her ears. Her avatar had more or less appeared the same as it was in GGO, only her hair had gotten slightly longer, and her chest and hips more robust, her body slightly longer and limbs more lean, overall a curvier look. This look and her new one-piece leather bodysuit flattered her body shape, she kicked up her right leg and looked over her shoulder to check the damage done by the last turn, a faint scrape was now being covered up with magical replenishing abilities that this virtual world also contained. _Replenish abilities are granted in MPO in the starter runs, these will have to be purchased in the form of tablets as you progress through the game. _Sinon was surprised how mechanical the navigator sounded, in comparison to Yui in ALO. It seemed that there was more to this new motorbike game than individual racing, and Sinon was determined to find out more. The starter run hadn't given her what she was expecting, though the graphics most certainly met the standards, she wasn't just hoping to find more intricate designs in an adventure game that was so heavily publicized all over the online forums of Japan. _Would you like to experience other starter runs or continue in the real Racer arena?_ The mechanical voice of Emi asked politely, to which Sinon responded with a decline, as she saw the time display on the faint clock towards the upper right corner of her vision, it was six thirty and the group were holding a celebration party for their last victory in defeating the floor boss previously. She flicked her hand and headed for the logout key.

* * *

><p>Back in her room, the Waver blinked to a close and shut off. Sinon removed the helmet to feel the tips of her hair brush against her cheek. <em>Time to switch gears.<em> And she plugged in the Amusphere, taking a dive into ALO.

* * *

><p><em>Link Start!<em> The second time Sinon had heard this phrase in one day. She was back at ALO with her friends, this time they were celebrating in Kirito and Asuna's log cabin on the twenty-second floor of New Aincrad. She was back in her Cait Sith avatar that felt a lot more buoyant and herself than that sexy body in MPO. Everyone else had arrived, Silica rushed over,

"Did you try out the new game?"

"Yeah, I just came back from it." Sinon started, she knew they'd be asking for more details.

"What is it like?" Kirito joined in the conversation.

"It's a motorbike game as anticipated. Quite different to the other games we'd gone through before. I mean, it's got a bit of the GGO raw flavor, the entire setting is quite industrial, but so far I've only managed to get through a starter run."

"What's that?" Kirito asked.

"Well the game is different in the sense that each avatar owns their own racing vehicle, there's a lot to choose from, most of them being motorbikes, but there are still a few racing cars available. After you choose your vehicle, you get to choose the arena. I guess that kind of like the mode or type of setting. For now I've only tried out the Racer arena, which is literally a racing track for motorbike races. The starter run was to get you started in the game, you know, let you feel the motion and stuff. And driving a motorbike is a pretty big feat." Sinon spoke in a straightforward tone, though her summary of the game made it seem unappealing, she was actually more attracted to the concept of Motoropia, her curiosity for the possibilities of the game began flowing.

"Sounds interesting enough, the opening is quite different to that in SAO and ALO. At least that's what it sounded like to me." Kirito smiled, "I'd like to give it a try sometime."

"I'll see how the plots go and I'll recommend it then if they're good. I think it needs another test, I'm interested in the other arenas, especially this one called the Night rush." Sinon had a feeling that the game would be a fresh one on the market, she'd gotten used to the nice graphics that ALO looked almost deteriorating. She picked up a glass of grape juice as the rest of the group huddled around the table, raising their glasses, they cheered to celebrate their last win. Sinon touched her lips to the rim of the glass, closing her eyes, she could feel the force of her motorbike, bringing her over turn after turn, the hum of the engines in her ear at the same time as Emi's mechanical voice. She was just getting started in MPO.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Here's chapter two of Motoropia with more coming. And I forgot to put up a disclaimer last chapter, I don't own Sword Art Online and any of its characters. Hope you guys enjoy this :)


	3. That Feel

**That feel**

"Watch the left!" Vixen screamed across the arena. Sinon barely dodged the laser beam coming from her left.

They were in the Racer arena, which turned out to be more than just the standard racetrack Sinon experienced in her starter run. Upon trying out the other arenas, Sinon had been focusing in the Racer arena lately. It had been a week after she had started on MPO and already had she partied up with fellow newbie Vixen whom she had met in one of those resting cafes that allowed a player to recharge themselves and their vehicles in between quests or arena fights and challenges.

The two of them were in one of the fight scenes in the Racer arena; this fight scene was designed to be a military port, which was depicted just as one would expect a military port would seem. There was an extensive dock that could hold several ships at the same time, as well as a standard sized runway, control tower, multiple taxiways, complete with a small sized hangar holding several aero devices. Sinon accessed the map attached to her wrist, projecting a three dimensional landscape of the arena above her wrist. The two orange dots indicated Vixen and her existence in the arena, and there was a cloud of neon blue progressing towards them, red crosses dotted along their route indicating the number of kills they made.

"Let's head to the western part of the arena to reequip ourselves, I'm running out of energy." Sinon suggested, after she checked the energy levels on her bike and weaponry.

"I'm in need of some energy too." Vixen agreed.

The game was slightly more complicated than it appeared in the manual. At first, Sinon thought that the game was similar to any other driving game, and the focus of the game would be placed on racing. Yet MPO was more of an integration of an automobile race and a battle fantasy, the battle part of the game involved weaponry that relied on energy, which also fueled the vehicles. By taking too long a ride or firing numerous beams, the weaponry and vehicles could shut down, and the player was basically useless for five minutes in the arena. _That would be an undesirable situation when you have the navy and part of the air force swarming to take you down._ Sinon thought. She put her weapon, the decimator, at rest, and focused diverting the remnants of her energy into her bike, heading towards the west with Vixen.

The ride had been smooth, Vixen and Sinon cruised along the taxiways that were meant for planes, and instead were smothered by the tire tracks that both motorbikes left. As they reached the far end of the arena, Sinon pulled off her helmet and breathed in the dusty air. She saw Vixen do the same, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, lit it up with his zippo lighter and took a long drag of the incinerating toxins rolled up in that thin device. He exhaled, releasing a thin streak of smoke into Sinon's direction.

"So much for the wait. My energy refilling capacity is pretty low, I need to upgrade it with another quest." Vixen complained. The energy refilling capacity was a kind of skill, you could increase the skill level by random upgrades in quests only, and the possibilities of increasing the energy refilling capacity was by doing more quests. The thing was, quests were rare, and were only offered at random when a player went in the arena of Night rush. So in order to increase their energy refilling capacities, most players opted to dive at night.

"Slow but steady. I'm fine with my energy refilling capacity." Sinon shrugged. "We've ditched them well enough. It'll take them an additional ten minutes to reach us here." She checked her map again to find the blue cloud to be more dispersed and was a distance away from the two orange dots. Vixen smiled and offered Sinon a cigarette. "I don't smoke." She refused, pushing away his offering.

"Come on, loosen up a little won't you?" He laughed. Slipping the cigarette back into its box, Vixen stretched his legs out, as the lactic acid had been building up in his calves when the two partners made their rush to their temporary haven.

"Let's rethink our strategy for this." Sinon started, "I think we won't have enough energy to last us if we were to stick to our original plan."

The original plan was to lure their pursuers into the corner that they were now in, the western point of the arena, and then to split off to both sides of the swarm and attack from the rear, so their pursuers would be cornered instead. However, Sinon had to rethink that after seeing the large blue cloud on that map, as it was moving towards them at a higher speed than expected. She looked around at her surroundings, and saw the ramp to her left. Vixen looked towards the ramp and then turned to Sinon, they were thinking of the same thing.

As the swarm of soldiers approached, their decimators pointed towards Sinon and Vixen who were perched on their bikes, decimators at rest on their hips,

"We'll give it another moment, there are still more coming, we can hold it for another five meters of advancement." Vixen said as the soldiers came marching forward. They were fifteen meters away, decimators still directed towards the two bikers. Sinon tightened her grip on the handlebars of her motorbike, they had only one chance to make this mission go right, and hopefully their last minute, and pieced-out plan would work. "Now!" Vixen yelled. And the two of them propelled themselves with their bikes, racing towards their left, heading towards the ramp. The soldiers' decimators followed the two bikers, but they were not fast enough for the sudden movement. Sinon and Vixen blasted around the soldiers, bracing themselves as they approached the ramp, increasing their speed once they reached the base, and at the end of the ramp, they pulled the handlebars back, the front wheel of their bikes came off the ground. _Acrobatic skill: Wheelie. Bonus energy granted._ Sinon felt the extra energy pulsing through her, and prepared for the next move. As their bikes reached the edge of the platform, they focused their energy on their handlebars, thrusting the handlebars front and up. Sinon felt her buttock slide off the seat, and despite the strong force of the wind blowing against her, she gripped tight of the handlebars as she felt the world spin before her eyes, man and vehicle airborne. _New acrobatic skill: Off-the-seat back flip. Bonus energy granted._ Emi announced the moves as Sinon executed them. She landed on the ground, fully seated on her motorbike again. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Vixen do the same, he grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. The two took off after they had made their way past the mass of soldiers with the extravagant acrobatic stunts that earned them additional energy.

* * *

><p>It was a calculated plan that popped into both of their heads after catching sight of the ramp.<p>

"I doubt we have enough energy for now," Vixen started as Sinon nodded in agreement, "Lets make use of that ramp over there." He nudged his head towards the ramp.

"Yeah, we need the bonus energy. From acrobatic skills." Sinon stated.

"What skills have you activated?" Vixen asked.

"The wheelie, a stoppie and both front and back flips."

"We'll throw in as many as we have to maximize our energy bonuses. Lets do a wheelie before we take off, and a flip in the air. What do you say about that?" Vixen suggested.

"That could work, I haven't done many executions of acrobatic skills in a racer arena so I'm not a hundred percent confident in succeeding this." Sinon was worried this plan wouldn't work, but it was the only way to get out of their corner without losing a whole lot of HP.

"I presume we could get two boosts of bonuses by those two skills, and we're both at sixty-five percent of our energy level, the bonuses will probably fill them up till eighty percent. So we'll have enough for a full-scale fight.

The two bikers pulled out their decimators, controlling the bike with one hand and holding the decimator in the other, they began firing laser beams towards the soldiers moving towards them.

"I'll take the front, you do the sniping from the back." Vixen ordered. He stood his ground shooting at the soldiers while Sinon rode her bike a few meters behind him. She stopped her bike and shot at the soldier who was targeting Vixen, who burst into shards in an instant.

"One down, many more to go." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p>It was a feisty battle; Vixen lost half his HP after being shot in the arm by three laser beams. Sinon was in a much healthier state, she had saved Vixen's life by shooting down numerous soldiers who were seconds away from killing Vixen. The two collapsed as the "Congratulations!" sign appeared,<p>

"That was one heck of a racer arena." Vixen panted,

"They finally let us have some action with this one." Sinon laughed,

"Yeah, good luck to the next party coming to this arena. This is seriously no joke man."

_And I thought this whole game was just another racing game, _Sinon thought to herself with a smile, _I guess I was wrong. It brings me back to the GGO times when I really liked to shoot. And that feeling when you hit your target from two thousand meters away? That's exactly how it feels now._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Merry Christmas! Hope you guys had a wonderful holiday! And the usual disclaimer: I don't own SAO or any of it's characters :)


	4. Night Rush

**Night Rush**

Sinon pulled off the waver and breathed. Her room had a soft scent of the soap used to wash her bed sheets. For almost two weeks, she'd been spending hours in her room after school, diving into ALO and MPO, which left her quite exhausted during the times that she'd left the virtual world. Sinon had been falling back on her coursework, which was monitored digitally and linked to their VRMMORPG accounts, and each time she went online, notifications would pop up. At first she thought that they were updates on her account, but it turned out that it was all spam from the academic office, reminding her to hand in some assignment. One notification gradually became thirty, and the reminders turned into warnings. Sinon stopped opening the notifications, as opening one would mean that she would be reminded again of her failing grades, and the action itself was such a massive turn off before she dived.

She looked over at the digital clock beside her bed; it was almost seven at night, _time for dinner._ Sinon hopped off her bed and strode to the wardrobe; she grabbed her coat and left the room for dinner.

Dinner was never nice. The mother and daughter had to go through thirty minutes each night munching morsels in silence. With Sinon's mother being overly frail, and incapable of receiving shocking information, it was only for the better that she keep her mother out from knowing about her gaming instincts, which took up a huge part of her everyday conversation topics, one that couldn't be shared with her mother. Therefore, dinner proceeded in a silent manner, and no lives would be interfered. Yet such a routine was broken that night.

"Mother," She always spoke to her with great formality.

"Hm?" The older woman looked up from her bowl of rice.

"I –," Sinon started, but she couldn't finish. "Never mind, it's nothing." Her mother nodded, and continued making her way through her dinner.

There were times when Sinon wanted to let go of her hidden identity to her mother; this was one of the biggest steps she'd taken since she'd started ALO. Yet the thought of mentioning the word "gun" in front of her mother was too heartbreaking to imagine, she could picture her mother shivering, muttering to herself, the color draining from her face. It was too much to let go of. _I can't, at least not now. Just suck it up and don't think about it, you've got more to worry about than this._ It was true that Sinon had much to worry about apart from the virtual world, much like any other person, she was a regular teenager. A teenager who went to school every day, had homework, and a life that would soon deter her from the fantasies of the virtual world. High school was an important time, the last moments of her youth before she'd have to set path on her career. Sinon felt that she had to grasp every drop of such freedom before she would become confined in society. Yet the idea of stepping out to society frightened her, and this thought was constantly stuck in her mind, especially with all the notifications swirling around her dock each time she dived. _Just another year, please, just give me another year of this life, and I'll be out of here afterwards._

Sinon returned to her room after dinner, she plopped on her chair and swiveled to face the desk. Set up neatly on the desk was the homework she had for today, math, a Japanese comprehension exercise, and chemistry problems. She took another glance at the three sets of work and sighed. _I'll dive for one hour, that's all._

* * *

><p><em>Link start!<em> To her surprise, the four starter panels were filled this time, Night Rush was selectable, and a bright red sign with the word "NEW" was blazing furiously on the Night Rush panel. _Let's give it try._

Unlike the other arenas, the Night Rush arena didn't have a trial session. Instead, Sinon was transported to the roof of a building, she was already seated on her Moto Guzzi, and an opaque hologram lit up before her.

_Welcome to Night Rush, the only arena with alternating scenarios, the highlight of Motoropia! The rules are simple, Night Rush is a quest-based arena, and each time the arena is open, there will be one quest for all participants to complete. Upon the completion of each quest, players will receive points according to their performance in the quests, and a monthly ranking will determine the top players of Motoropia. Night Rush will be open once every month, of which the date will be completely random, however they will only be available at night. Enjoy!_

Sinon read over the rules slowly, they weren't particularly clear as to what kind of quest it would be, she was confused by the generality of the instructions, until she started getting nervous seeing the countdown timer appear. The rules were gone, and Sinon could only see a whole row of building roofs displayed in front of her, and then she saw the tiny blinking panel in the distance. _No way, we have to make it across the buildings? _She began revving her bike, pulsing the exhaust for that one blast that would launch her in front of her competitors. _Go!_ Sinon blasted herself across the starting line, she'd almost reached the edge of the roof, when she realized that the gap between the first roof to the second was much larger than she'd assumed. _Crap, I need to step up the gas to make the distance._ She hunched herself closer to the handlebars and flicked her wrist to turn the handlebars excessively, gaining the momentum for her first jump. Aligning herself to one of the ramps dotted in the area by the edge of the roof, she made her jump – barely, to the second roof. _Phew, I need to work on my speed and eyesight, come to think of it, it's deteriorated since I stopped going on GGO so often, and my distance judging has been weakened._ She geared up for a second jump.

It was after the fourth leap that Sinon had finally realized the whole point of the quest. _Why am I so slow at figuring this out? Of course they'd want you to do tricks, that the whole point, that's how you're meant to get points for the rankings!_ The next gap was eight meters away, and she had amassed enough speed for a safe landing, this time she was determined to nail a flip. The flip in the last racer arena with Vixen had only been a fluke; this try would really consolidate it. She reached the ramp within seconds and felt the energy pumping in her hands, merging them with the handlebars. The moment she took off and the front wheel of the bike came into view, she loosened her straddle and felt her legs billowing against the wind on the roofs. As the world spun around, she saw the edge of the next roof, and soon enough the front wheel of her bike again, then the handlebars, and lastly her legs strapped tightly to the sides of her bike. She'd made it safely across, with her off-the-seat back flip. She heard the announcement for bonus energy and immediately felt pumped for the next obstacle.

The roofs were beginning to get crowded with random crates and water tanks that could be found in usual rooftops, with more maneuvering required as Sinon made her way through the rooftops. She'd just landed her fifteenth jump, when a crate was a hair away from the front wheel, and she'd only managed to dodge it by the bonus energy she had received for the last off-the seat stunt, which didn't even make a flip. The obstacles were getting to be more difficult, and Sinon didn't have enough stamina to make the flashy acrobatic stunts she had done so in the first few jumps. Swiveling left and right to dodge the crates, at one point, she spun on the spot to stop herself from hitting the wall of a water tank, as her speed was almost uncontrollable. She swung her handlebars to the right with full strength, the energy almost spent on blocking that crash, which resulted in a new skill earned. _New acrobatic skill: two-wheeled spin. Bonus energy granted_. But she couldn't stop then to congratulate herself, there was too much tension on this arena, and she literally couldn't stop herself on one of the roofs, as there wouldn't be enough space to restart and make it onto another roof. _I've got to keep moving, or else I'll end up falling in one of those gaps._ She didn't stop the movement of her motorbike and moved repetitively from left to right, turning when she needed to, u turning as well, to make up for more movement in the small, confined area.

The graphics and other sensory effects were really working the entire package of the game, she could feel the exhaust propelling her further, and the sharp streaks of the wind scratching against her leather jacket, and the goggles that she'd managed to buy at a cheap price after her first trial. The exhilaration of riding full speed at night, hopping from one building to another was so satisfying. The action was intensified when the game makers released the special that allowed players to input their favorite music into the game, they were able to play the favorite songs as they rode, and that just brought in another sense of pleasure for Sinon who found that heavy rock music and its hardcore beats and riffs built up her speed and rhythm. Sinon took one final turn to align her bike with the last ramp, and leapt into the sky.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I've missed writing haha, it's been holiday season for a while. Enjoy :D


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